This invention relates to a rapid method for drying wigs, and apparatus therefor.
It has become common practice for women to wear hairpieces, generally known as "wigs", for reasons of style and convenience. Wigs are fabricated by fastening hair-like strands, which may be real human or animal hair or a synthetic fiber such as nylon, acrylic, modacrylic, polyester or other polymer, to net-like base. The base commonly contains an elastic material around the circumference of the base to help hold the wig in place on the wearer's head.
A major convenience to a wig owner is the fact that a wig can be washed, styled, and dried while it is not being worn. It is common for women to bring their wigs to commercial establishments, e.g., beauty parlors, to have their wigs washed and set. However, a major inconvenience with washing a hairpiece is the amount of time necessary to completely dry the hairpiece such that it may be worn. Depending on the moisture-retention properties of the wig, drying time in ambient conditions can be up to several days. Even under conventional hair dryers, drying time may be as long as 4-6 hours. In commercial beauty parlors, the use of hair dryers to dry wigs removes these dryers from their normal use in servicing customers. Even commercial units sold specifically for drying wigs require very long wig residence times. Sustained periods of exposure of a hairpiece to high temperatures can shorten its useful life, causing the fibers to become dry and crack, and also causing deterioration and loss of elasticity of the rubber.
It is well known to dry wigs by passing heated air through the wig fibers, such as under a conventional hood-type hair dryer. It is also known to dry wigs in an enclosed ovenlike structure.
It is also known to use microwave energy to remove moisture from certain articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,013, issued Mar. 20, 1973 to Donald G. Miller, describes a method of drying wood with microwaves while circulating heated air throughout the wood kiln. However, the problems associated with drying wigs in the presence of microwaves have not been recognized in the art.